Wojciech Szczesny knew where former Juventus teammate Gonzalo Higuain would put the penalty for Milan. “We know each other well.”
That was a decisive moment in the match, as Higuain was ready to equalise after Mario Mandzukic’s header, but Szczesny fingertipped the spot-kick on to the upright.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who whispered something in Szczesny’s ear before the penalty, went on to complete the 2-0 result.
Wojciech Szczesny knew where former Juventus teammate Gonzalo Higuain would put the penalty for Milan. “We know each other well.”
That was a decisive moment in the match, as Higuain was ready to equalise after Mario Mandzukic’s header, but Szczesny fingertipped the spot-kick on to the upright.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who whispered something in Szczesny’s ear before the penalty, went on to complete the 2-0 result.
“We know each other well. I know that Higuain tends to take his penalties hard and low, so I was fortunate that it went well,” Szczesny told Sky Sport Italia.
“Ronaldo told me to go early, because Pipita tends to take powerful penalties, but then I already knew that… We scored early, lowered the tempo and controlled the game, which is what we wanted to do.”
This is the Poland international’s second season at Juventus, but his first since Gianluigi Buffon moved away.
“It’s important to have a rapport with the defenders and a sense of consistency. It’s not easy to replace Buffon, but with this defence in front of me, it’s rare that we concede goals.
“In a way, that makes it tougher for a goalkeeper, as we aren’t called into action very often and need to maintain concentration. It’s easier in a way to make a save every 10 minutes, not that I’m complaining.”